Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to honeycomb structures, and particularly to ceramic honeycomb particulate filters and substrates comprising an outer skin layer exhibiting improved thermal expansion compatibility with the underlying honeycomb body.
Technical Background
Much interest has been directed towards the diesel engine due to its efficiency, durability and economical aspects. However, diesel emissions have come under attack both in the United States and Europe for their harmful effects on the environment and on humans. As such, stricter environmental regulations will require diesel engines to be held to the same standards as gasoline engines. Therefore, diesel engine manufacturers and emission-control companies are working to achieve a faster, cleaner diesel engine that meets the most stringent of requirements under all operating conditions with minimal cost to the consumer.
Diesel particulate filters and substrates with large diameters cannot currently be manufactured to the tight dimensional requirements set by original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) and the supply chain due to unpredictable drying and firing shrinkage. Consequently, a coldset ceramic cement has been used to form the exterior skin of the cordierite monolith. The coldset ceramic cement is mixed and applied to a fired, contoured substrate and the wet skin is afterward allowed to dry either under ambient conditions or by convective or microwave drying at elevated temperatures. The dried part is then ready to receive a catalyst coating and any further downstream processing required.
Present skin designs embody conflicting physical property requirements between the final application and the intermediate processing and handling. In service, the material must have a low thermal expansion and high thermal shock resistance (low elastic modulus) to endure severe thermal gradients. To achieve these properties, high porosity and weak bonding are desired for maximum skin flexibility. To withstand shipping, handling and/or processing (including extreme pH exposure during catalyzation), high strength and chip/abrasion resistance are desired. To achieve these properties, low porosity and strong bonding between the skin and the ceramic body are sought for maximum skin strength.
Previous attempts to achieve a balance between the above properties have focused on ground cordierite as a filler material in the skin to enable low coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE). However, even though ground cordierite is capable of producing a skin having reduced CTE, the resultant CTE is insufficiently low to enable the most extreme oven thermal processing conditions of rapid heating and cooling cycles.